In hospitals, clinics, and similar medical institutions, contamination continues to be of utmost concern. The prevention of the spread of communicable diseases is a major priority; therefore, disposable, single-use, patient care products have become prevalent. Such items are contaminated, once used, and can readily transmit disease. These items include such devices as hypodermic needles, intravenous needles, razors, scalpel blades, or other sharps—all of which are required to be disposed of at their point of usage under current guidelines of the United States Centers for Disease Control.
Various disposal containers for medical wastes have been proposed for the purpose of accepting medical waste, storing medical waste, and preventing an individual from gaining access to contaminated items once the waste has been deposited into the container, and many such disposal containers go far to accomplish this purpose. One such container is illustrated in U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0213714 to Moats et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Nevertheless, there continues to be a need to further develop and improve medical waste disposal systems in the interests of safety, hygiene and convenience.